Described below is a method for controlling the operation of at least one functional component of a motor vehicle.
The problem of the unauthorized replacement of particular motor vehicle functional components, during which original components of the motor vehicle are replaced with stolen functional components, for example, without authorization, and the problem of the unauthorized manipulation of particular motor vehicle functional components are known.
Such unauthorized replacement and such unauthorized manipulation can be detected by authentication between respective functional components and a control device. The authentication can be implemented, for example, using so-called challenge-response authentication, during which encrypted information, for example in the form of numerical codes, and functional-component-specific decryption results of respective encrypted information are interchanged between respective functional components. If the decryption results interchanged between respective functional components match, there is successful authentication. If the decryption results interchanged between respective functional components do not match, there is no successful authentication.
In the event of unsuccessful authentication of a functional component, it has hitherto been common practice to selectively restrict the functionality of at least this functional component in order to indicate the unsuccessful authentication of a particular functional component to a vehicle occupant.
However, this procedure cannot be pursued for the situation in which functional components of the motor vehicle which are safety-relevant and/or emission-relevant to the driving mode could not be successfully authenticated since the functionality of corresponding functional components which are safety-relevant and/or emission-relevant to the driving mode is not intended to be restricted, in principle.